Foley, school board seek to preserve deteriorating historic buildings

Guy Busby, Press-RegisterThe entrance to the former administration building at Foley Middle School, built in 1924, is closed and boarded.FOLEY, Ala. -- Closed school buildings dating back to the 1920s are deteriorating behind boarded-up windows, but city and education officials said they don't have the money to preserve the historic structures.

Last week, Foley officials met with Norm Moore, the area's representative on the Baldwin County Board of Education, to discuss plans for the former administration building, auditorium and library of Foley Middle School. The buildings closed when the new middle school opened in August.

The administration building and auditorium were built in the 1920s, while the library was constructed in 1969, according to school system reports. The buildings were originally part of Foley High School, which moved from the site on Pine Street to its current campus on Pride Drive in 1990.

Moore said he and Foley officials agreed that the buildings should be preserved, but both city and school system budgets are already stretched.

"The school system can't afford to put a lot into it either," Moore said. "These are some nice facilities, they're old, but they're historic and they would be an asset to the community."

Moore said the proposal being discussed would have the city take over the buildings and allow nonprofit organizations to use some of the space. He said the site would be well suited to education-related groups, such as the South Baldwin Chamber Foundation or the South Baldwin Literacy Council.

"It would be a way to use those buildings rather than tearing them down," Moore said. "That would also leave some uses available for the school system."

He said that if the auditorium could be restored as a performing arts center, schools in Foley and the surrounding areas could also use the facility as a theater.

The auditorium was partitioned into classrooms in the 1970s. Restoring the facility as a theater and bringing the structure up to building codes could cost up to $750,000, according to 2009 city estimates.

Just maintenance and utilities in the three buildings would cost the city about $80,000 a year, Mayor John Koniar said at the last City Council work session.

Koniar said the city cannot afford the full cost of keeping the buildings open. If the board agreed to allow the city to take control of at least the two most historic structures -- the administration building and the auditorium -- Foley crews could provide basic maintenance until more money is available, he said.

Koniar said the administration building would make a good site for agencies such as the South Baldwin Chamber Foundation, which raises money for education in Foley and the surrounding area. Nonprofit agencies, however, would not be able to pay rent equal to the cost of maintenance and restoration.

"We could put it to good use, but it would have to be really underwritten by the city for the most part," the mayor said.

Councilman Charles Ebert III said such agencies, however, might have other sources of funding that could keep up the buildings.

"Some of those tenants may qualify for grants that we don't qualify for and that grant could actually be used to improve the building if we could get it," Ebert said.

City officials should determine the cost of restoring the buildings before entering into any agreements, Councilman Wayne Trawick said. He said city officials should know what those costs will be before entering into any agreement.

"What we're doing is trying to help the school out, but right now these are tough times," Trawick said.

Moore said any lease or transfer proposed by the city would have to be approved by the Board of Education.